Construction crews at work on a new location for First National Bank. Tony McKim, president and CEO of the bank, said the company plans to move from its High Street location, where it has been for over 40 years, to this Beechland Road site in the spring. ELLSWORTH AMERICAN PHOTO BY KATE COUGH

ELLSWORTH — First National Bank will be moving from its High Street location to a new branch being built on the Beechland Road, according to First National President and CEO Tony McKim.

“We’re hoping to take occupancy in April or May of 2019,” McKim said.

The High Street branch will close (the bank is leasing the space) when the new branch opens, McKim said.

The company purchased the Weymouth Chiropractic building on Beechland Road earlier this year, McKim said, razed it, and has begun building its new, two-story branch on the site.

According to building permits on file with the city, work is estimated to cost over $2.5 million.

The Beechland Road location will be a full-service branch, McKim said. The company also will be moving the offices of its First Advisors team from Surry Road to Beechland Road.

There are 16 First National locations “up and down the coast,” McKim said.

In Hancock County, the company has locations in Bar Harbor, Southwest Harbor, Northeast Harbor, Blue Hill and Ellsworth.

“We viewed this as a unique opportunity with a better traffic pattern for us,” said McKim, who couldn’t remember the exact date the bank moved into the High Street location but said it was in the early 1970s.

Kate Cough

Kate covers the city of Ellsworth, including the Ellsworth School Department and the city police beat, as well as the towns of Amherst, Aurora, Eastbrook, Great Pond, Mariaville, Osborn, Otis and Waltham. She lives in Southwest Harbor and welcomes story tips and ideas. She can be reached at [email protected]